Tammy Harold is the current secretary and past president of Falcon School District 49. Her passion for education goes way back. Harold grew up in Bargersville, Indiana, which is 40 miles south of Indianapolis. Her mother worked school lunches and eventually became a school bus driver. Her stepfather worked for the school district as a bus mechanic. So, Harold experienced the world of education at an early age.Since he had been stationed at Fort Carson in Colorado Springs, Colorado, Haroldís stepfather took the family on many trips to Colorado; and, in 1977, they made the Springs their permanent home.Harold attended middle school at Horace Mann Junior High in Colorado Springs, and later received a scholarship to Benet Hill Academy, an all-girls Catholic school in the Springs. ìWe are not Catholic so that was a shock for me, and we had to wear uniforms,î Harold said. ìThere were only 17 girls in my ninth-grade class.î Harold attended the school one year before it closed.In 1982, Haroldís family moved to the Briargate area. In1985, Harold graduated from Rampart High School and received a scholarship to the University of Colorado, Colorado Springs. After completing three years, her scholarship funding ran out. ìI just assumed they would give me another one, so I didnít apply for any,î she said. ìSo, I had to start working full time.î Harold began working as a billing specialist for Peak Health and attended evening classes at UCCS, graduating in 1989 with a bachelorís degree in human resources and personnel management.During spring break of her senior year, she met her future husband, Tom, on a blind date. They were married June 30, 1990; and, less than a week later, moved to Phoenix. While her husband did contract work for the closing of Williams Air Force Base, Harold worked in the human resources department of a concrete company. ìThatís when I realized I hated HR,î she said.In July 1991, Tom Harold was transferred back to Colorado Springs, and they lived near Powers Boulevard until1994, when the Harolds decided to move farther east, close to Sky Sox stadium. ìPeople thought we were crazy because there was nothing there,î she said.Harold worked in accounting at Penrad Imaging while taking evening classes at UCCS; this time in accounting.In June 1996, the Harolds welcomed their first daughter, Shelby. Harold continued working for Penrad on a part-time basis from home, and started her own business in October that same year. In 1997, she graduated from UCCS with a bachelorís degree in accounting; and has since built her clientele to an even dozen.Harold gave birth to another daughter, Carly, in 1999. When her older daughter started kindergarten that same year at Stetson Elementary School in Colorado Springs, several neighbors encouraged Harold to join the schoolís PTA.In 2004, Harold began attending D 49 school board meetings. ìThere was a lot of chaos happening at the boards,î she said. ìWe were always in the news.îHarold decided to run for the D 49 school board in 2009, and served as secretary for the first two years of her four-year term. ìIt was a hard board to be on because we were going through some serious growing pains in the district,î she said. ìEvery school was overcrowded; teachers and administration was overwhelmed; we werenít passing bonds and didnít even know where we were going to put kids.î She said one volatile issue involved a proposed fee for school bus transportation. ìThe fire marshal got called, and we had to shut the meeting down because there were so many people,î Harold said. ìAnd there were so many people outside, they were banging on the walls. We had to have the sheriff walk us to our cars.îIn the second half of her term, the board elected Harold president-elect to serve as president in 2011. The year she became board president challenged her personally and professionally. Harold separated from her husband, and they eventually divorced. But she focused on leading the D 49 board.ìOur goal then was to bring stability back to the district,î she said. ìWe had a lot of strong personalities, with five people, and a lot of different backgrounds and expectations.îIn 2013, the board re-elected Harold as president. In 2015, Harold went back to serving as the board secretary. She will be term-limited next year. ìWe have a really nice board and a nice cohesive group these last two years,î she said. ìIt really is a pleasure now to go to board meetings. We donít all agree on everything, but we have learned how to work together as a unit.îThrough the years Harold has seen many changes throughout D 49. ìHigh schools are changing and what kids need and want from a high school are very different,î she said. ìThere is a lot more online and blended learning.î In the last several years, high schools have started offering classes and opportunities to students not interested in pursuing college after graduation. ìWe left those kids out for years, and we pushed them all to be college-ready and take those types of classes,î she said.Harold said Colorado has implemented a program, Colorado in College, for middle school students. The students can explore classes that would help them pursue their career choices. D 49 schools are partnering with Pikes Peak Community College and focusing on technical trades. ìKids can come out of high school with almost a yearís worth of college paid for by the district,î she said. ìParents just have to pay for books.îCommunity involvement with the area schools has been growing, and the board is focused on doing more with the community, Harold said. ìWe realize that 60 percent of the people that live in the district donít have a connection to the schools,î she said. ìThey donít have kids, and they donít work in the district. So how do we get that sense of community back and focus it around our schools?î Harold said the board started a community leadership group — consultants visit with 14 individuals over a seven-week period. She said the board would especially like to reach out to senior citizens, educating them about the district and letting them know about volunteer opportunities.Since Harold is term-limited, next year will be her last serving the D 49 school board. ìI donít know what Iíll do, but Iím sure I will do something with children. My passion is kids and making sure everybody has an opportunity,î she said. ìParent involvement makes a difference in your childís life and education.î
